


Happily Ever After

by galaxysoup



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, F/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-01
Updated: 2003-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxysoup/pseuds/galaxysoup
Summary: Companion piece to Walking Nights: what Daniel might think of Sam/Jack.
Kudos: 4





	Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to [The Comfort Zone](http://www.sg1hc.com/main.shtml) fanfic archive.
> 
> Present!Galaxysoup author note: Look. This is, technically, a Jack/Sam story. I didn't tag it as that because it is also, subtly, a Jack/Sam _bashing_ story. This was a different time and I was a less evolved author and fandom participant; at that time, in my experience, you were either Team Jack/Daniel or Team Jack/Sam and never the twain should meet. In fact, if you were Team Jack/Daniel you were contractually obligated to hate Sam, and vice versa. I did, fortunately, mostly manage to avoid that particular trap, but a _lot_ of people I interacted with then did not. I include this note as an explanation for the tagging choices I made and, to an extent, the tone of the story itself; as a bit of fandom history; and as a more specific warning to any SG1 fandom veterans I'm about to dropkick straight into a fandom dynamics flashback.

## Happily Ever After

Once Upon a Time, there was a princess who lived under a mountain... 

This is a different sort of fairy tale, I'll tell you that now. Oh, it's got all the proper fairy tale bits: evil serpents, a princess, a knight, companions steadfast and true. There are even quests and epic battles. No, this one is different because of who's telling it. I mean, how often do you hear a fairy tale from the point of view of the sidekick? 

This, you see, is the story of the warrior princess Sam (and you can get that Xena costume out of your mind right this instant) and her knight Jack. Who doesn't have shining armor, but he's a good shot with a P-90 so we'll forgive him that. They live below a big mountain, under the protection and guidance of a wise ruler named Hammond, and fight evil every day (and twice on holidays. No rest for the wicked, which means, of course, the heroes won't be getting any either). 

"Major Carter?" 

Speaking of the wise ruler... 

"Yes sir?" 

"Where were you last night? There was an emergency in the labs and we couldn't get a hold of you. Need I remind you that this isn't a nine to five job? You can't be out of contact like that!" 

Ooops. Stay out a little past midnight, Cinderella? 

"I'm sorry, sir, I was-" 

Enter the loyal sidekick. Knight in shining armor? I wish. 

"She was at my apartment keeping me company, sir. I'm sorry. I was feeling a little under the weather. It was my fault and it won't happen again." 

His face softens paternally. The loyal sidekick strikes again. 

"Very well. Make sure you have your pager with you next time, Major." Exit Wise Ruler. 

"Thanks, Daniel." 

"No problem. Any time you need an alibi, you know where to find me." 

She doesn't ask how I knew to step in. I was out walking last night and passed by Jack's house and saw her car, around three when the fairy sparkles had worn off and the magic carriage had become a second-hand Honda. They make me feel old, sometimes, the two of them. I may be younger than both of them, but I've already had my fairy tale. 

"Daniel...were you feeling lonely last night?" 

Yes, Sam, I was. I was missing my princess and my happy ending. I wanted to stop feeling like an extra in someone else's story. I wanted to know I still had a part to play. Lonely doesn't even begin to cover what I feel, Sam. It's a giant black hole eating me alive from the inside. Sam... I think it's killing me. 

"No, Sam. I'm fine." 

* * *

I had a fairy tale once too, you see. It was everything a proper fairy tale should be. I crossed the stars with a band of brothers and journeyed to a distant land, where I found an evil demon holding a princess and her people in slavery. With justice and purity on our side, we fought the evil demon and slayed him, and I wedded the beautiful princess and lived happily ever- 

Whoops. 

Take out the red pencil, scratch out the happy ending, scribble in the melancholy final monologue about star-crossed lovers. What started as a fairy tale ended as a tragedy and I, the only character left, am captive in Sam and Jack's story. I play Will Scarlet to their Robin and Marion, Chewbacca to their Han and Leia. 

I am a character without a plot, jumping into empty roles wherever I can find them. Sometimes I'm the loyal sidekick, or the sacrificial best friend, or the wizard with the answers. Sometimes I even get to play the knight again, but it's a usurped role and not mine to have. I hand it over to someone more worthy and commence my wandering amongst the stars. 

"Daniel? What are you doing out here?" 

I don't know what role I'm supposed to be in, right now. Am I the wizard? The hero? The damsel in distress? I can't figure it out. Fairy tale characters float across my eyes. None of them are mine. 

"None of it means anything." 

"Daniel, why don't you come inside here." 

This isn't the way it's supposed to be, Jack. 

"I tried. It just goes away." 

"Okay. Then we'll get it back." 

Oh, Jack. Your fairy tale might be mid-plotline at the moment, but mine says 'The End' at the bottom in big red letters. 

"You can't get it back." 

"Whatever's wrong, we'll fix it." 

Jack, you can't fix something like this. All you can do is pretend it never existed. 

"You don't even know what I'm talking about." 

"No. No I don't. But come inside." 

I'm tired of pretending. 

"Jack?" 

It's not supposed to be this way, Jack. Romeo is supposed to die in Juliet's arms. Pyramus shouldn't have to live without his Thisbe. Troilus doesn't belong in a story about Cinderella and Prince Charming. 

It's not a fairy tale, Jack, it's a nightmare. 

He's helping me inside now, the knight in shining armor and his grief-grazed friend. He's on the phone, talking to someone, I don't know and don't care who. 

Don't you see, Jack? This is wrong. All wrong. I'm not supposed to be here. Someone's messed with my story, Jack. It's not a fairy tale because Sha're is dead. It's not a tragedy because I'm alive. 

I don't know what this is, Jack. 

Help me? 

* * *

And they all... 

Lived. 

**FINIS**


End file.
